The creative direction for this design sought to turn the concept of recognition on its head.  Recognizing an individual is not about reading their name aloud, or inviting them to grace a podium  for two short minutes.

To truly recognize the clients’ employees, the tem conceived a room that featured twenty unique table designs

Guests were given a card that indicated the concept design and name of each table and were to select a seat for themselves at a table they were drawn to--a table they would select that was indicative of their personal “story.”

The approach followed a staged and cascading design philosophy that first saw the concepts fit into three broad stroke categories, which included: thematic, design, and whimsy.

Once the archetypes were established, the team collectively brainstormed upwards of 60 individual table concepts ranging from international destinations, award-winning cinema, literature, recorded music, and pop culture.

With these ideas established, the event team began to run each concept through  a series of filters, which saw them imagine how color, scale and texture would present themselves within each design.

Weeks of thought and back-and-forth distilled each concept. 

The talented teams from Decor and More and POP Kollaborative bring home a 2017 Gala Award from Special Events for this exciting gala featuring 20 different table designs for guests to choose from.

The development process "Saw us potentially removing a table in the final days before the event, it saw us think freely and openly about arriving at the best designs—and it resulted in an event environment like no other," they say.

"The personal choice we had attendees make is not something we’d seen or heard of before," the team says.

"We did break the mold.  We made this event about the individuals and their stories," they say.

"Our concept encouraged attendees to share their stories once they were seated.  Why did they choose this table? What memories does the choice evoke?"

"It was the perfect ice-breaker to get tables of co-workers who may have never spoken before to share their life experiences and dreams with one another."

"The economic climate in Alberta was, and is still now, fragile and volatile. The client did not want to come across as gratuitous or excessive."

"This concept allowed us to focus on something as simple as unique table decor to provide  each guest a veritable event within an event while sticking to a modest budget. "

"Each table was a piece of the puzzle and like its employees, the client’s puzzle pieces were brought together to form a cohesive whole on this occasion."

"Conceiving the 20 table designs was the biggest challenge we faced.  Each table theme had to be unique and had to inherently satisfy a number of criteria."

"When viewed  as a whole unit, this event was truly a unified fantasy.  It is only when one looked closer at the individual table designs and realized the reason they were presented that this event and the uniqueness of its concept comes to light."

"Where else would one see tables centered around Shakespearean forests, next to a reflective shimmering table rooted in silver and mirror accents?"

"On paper, the concepts read as a complete smorgasbord of decor elements, but through intelligent consideration, and dedication to the concept we arrived at designs and looks that were truly complimentary to one another."

"We took a relatively modest amount of money and with it provided fully immersive surroundings borne out of a powerful message, a strategic concept, and a stunning 'hook' that achieved the goals of our end client."

"Being able to connect with each employee and manifest the vision of Every ONE Has A Story was 'immeasurable,' in our clients’ words."

The "Silver Surfer" tabletop.

The "Tour de France" tabletop.

The "Uncorked" tabletop.